What is SENSE 600®? 

Sustainability is becoming as important as performance and cost in the selection of materials in construction projects. InfraBuild’s SENSE 600® range of reinforcing steel reflects this shift – a high strength reinforcing steel that uses up to 16.7% less raw material than our standard Grade 500N reinforcing bar to achieve the same load capacity. 

Utilising the nation’s only Electric Arc Furnaces, the Sense 600 ® reinforcing bar range is also made from 100 percent scrap.

“Our Sense 600 ® range  is a reinforcing steel product that delivers a lower embodied carbon solution to the construction industry compared to our standard Grade 500N reinforcing bar with the same design capacity,” InfraBuild’s Innovation Manager Sharmy Francis said. 

“Reducing embodied carbon requires smarter upfront design decisions and thoughtful material selection. Once a structure is built, the embodied carbon associated with its materials is locked in and cannot be reduced retrospectively. This is why adopting a material efficient approach at the onset of design is critical to achieving meaningful reductions in embodied carbon.

By incorporating SENSE 600® reinforcing steel early in the design and construction process, the embodied carbon associated with reinforcing steel can be  reduced by up to 39% from the outset compared to our standard Grade 500N reinforcing bar. This proactive approach enables designers and engineers to make lower embodied carbon choices whilst still being able to use product which complies Australian standards.”

SENSE 600® has been recognised by industry, winning several awards and is now in use in nation building construction projects.  

“Customers that value sustainability are buying it because they understand it has the same load and design capacity as our  500N reinforcing steel but reduced mass, and they’re also getting a sustainability benefit” Anthony Ng, InfraBuild’s Engineering Solutions Manager said.  

“It also gives the end user confidence, because we’ve done very rigorous analysis and testing with independent third-party facilities at the institutions Monash University and the University of NSW, with the results incorporated into Australian Standards.” 

The team behind SENSE 600® has a combined experience of more than 100 years and Sharmy Francis says that’s been crucial. 

“I think bringing our diverse and collective capabilities together has been key to unlocking innovation. You’re not only challenging each other, but you’re also challenging how things have always been done in industry,” 

“I’m really chuffed, incredibly proud that our business has embraced Innovation, coming together to achieve this incredible outcome.”